Desiring a food plate divider has been around a long time for the above mentioned reasons of preventing different food articles from intermixing, providing a wall to scoop the food article against with a fork or spoon (especially for impaired individuals), or to act as a gauge for setting desired food portion sizes for individual on a diet. Thus the particular structure for creating the food plate divider is the variable, outside of the potential for an integral and permanent divider say molded into the plate, a food plate divider that is “after-market” i.e. being adaptable to existing food plates and of course having desirable features of being easy to securely attach and remove, plus being flexibly adaptable to varying food plate surface contours, and finally washing up well, plus when the divider is attached to the food plate surface to have it be fairly liquid tight to prevent food juices from intermixing as between the different food articles.
Looking at the prior art in the food plate barrier arts, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,588,551 to Morrow, et al., disclosed is an eating aid comprising: a one-piece, integral, elastically deformable member having a top wall and a continuous side wall with a bottom edge surrounding a depression. Wherein in Morrow, the member cooperates with a substantially smooth and planar surface to form a closed chamber when the bottom edge is disposed thereon and adheres to the surface by suction in response to a downward deformation of the top wall and wherein the side wall extends upwardly from the surface when the member is adhered thereto to form an abutment surface with an overhanging lip configured to force food pushed against the abutment surface by an eating utensil onto the utensil when a user is eating food off of the planar surface. Thus Morrow forms a food scoop stop abutment that is symmetrically shaped in the central portion of the plate that is removably engagable from the plate via a conventional suction cup for the abutment to be washed separate from the plate. Note that in Morrow there is no specific structure disclosed to help break the suction cup adherence to the plate or is taught the need for the suction cup to form a water tight barrier due to its triangular shape and functional use.
Continuing, in the prior art in the field of food plate article dividers in U.S. Pat. No. 2,974,820 to Romei, disclosed is a dinner plate comprising an elongated relatively thin vertically upright strip of material, and a conventional suction cup for securing the strip of material in transversely extending relation on the upper surface of a dinner plate, and means for connecting the suction cup to the strip of material, see FIGS. 2 and 5. Romei also has the last-mentioned means comprising an elongated threaded bolt to fixedly secure to the suction cup and extending upwardly therefrom, further a downwardly flared boss integral with the strip of material and having a threaded aperture therein in which the bolt engages, the strip of material having its bottom edge engaging the upper surface of the diner plate. Thus in Romei, the transverse wedge shaped form is with the thickest portion uppermost and generally parallel to the lower edge, the lower edge including an offset portion adjacent one end extending upwardly to a height to accommodate said suction cup with remainder of the lower edge in engagement with the dinner plate, see in particular FIG. 2. Note that in Romei, again there is no specific structure disclosed to help break the suction cup adherence to the plate nor is their structure disclosed to create a liquid tight barrier as between the barrier and the plate and as FIG. 2 shows there is actually a open gap as between the divider and the plate.
Further in the plate food article divider arts in U.S. Pat. No. 8,662,340 to Cocchiarella, disclosed is a removable portion (non-engaged) control device for use with a plate, comprising: a cover member sized to cover at least a portion of the plate. The cover member in Cocchiarella including: a first surface having a plurality of openings therein; a plurality of compartment walls attached to the first surface adjacent to a perimeter of the plurality of openings, the plurality of compartment walls extending a first distance in a first general direction from the first surface; and an outer side wall extending a second distance in the first general direction from the first surface at an outermost perimeter of the first surface.
Wherein the second distance in Cocchiarella is less than the first distance; wherein the plurality of openings and the plurality of compartment walls define a plurality of discrete portion compartments each defined by one opening and one compartment wall; wherein an outer shape of the first surface at the outermost perimeter of the first surface corresponds to an outer shape of the plate at an outermost perimeter of the plate; wherein the plurality of portion compartments cooperate with the plate to define portion sizes; wherein the cover member is configured to be removed from the plate so as to leave any contents of the plurality of portion compartments on the plate. Basically, Cocchiarella is a food portion size gauge that is used to fill the various compartments with food types, such as starch, protein, etc., and then the Cocchiarella food portion gauge is removed, leaving the desired food portions on the plate, thus there is no attachment of the food portion gauge to the plate nor is there concern over fluid exchange as between the different food types at the divider.
Continuing, in the food article divider arts in U.S. Pat. No. 8,800,802 to Martin, disclosed is a stackable container having a selectable or movable (foldable) divider, in a vertical container wall. The vertical container wall in Martin having an outer surface, an inner surface, a top edge, and a bottom edge, the vertical container wall having a horizontal circumference, the horizontal circumference larger at the top edge than at said bottom edge; a bottom container wall, the bottom container wall having a horizontal portion and a vertical portion. The horizontal portion in Martin having an inner surface and an outer surface, wherein the first divider having a front divider surface, a back divider surface, a top divider edge, a bottom divider edge, a first vertical divider edge and a second vertical divider edge; wherein the first divider is fixably attached (to be desirably fluid tight) to the vertical container wall at the first vertical divider edge to form a live hinge and is deployable within the container to provide a partition therein.
Also included in Martin is a second divider, having a front divider surface, a back divider surface, a top divider edge, a bottom divider edge, a first vertical edge and a second vertical edge; wherein the second divider is fixably attached (again to be desirably fluid tight) to the first divider to form a live hinge and is deployable therefrom and within the container to provide a second partition therein; wherein the container may provide one, two, or three partitioned areas for contents placed therein through selected deployment of the first and second dividers. Note that Martin is taught to be a completely disposable paper assembly with no re-usability of any kind, plus the dividers are taught to be permanently attached.
In addition, for the plate food article divider arts in United States Patent Application Publication Number 2013/0292389 to Jones, et al., disclosed is a plate with an integrated design for sauces includes a plate well, a lip, an outer base, a plurality of central bases, at least one design indentation in the plate surface, and a design indentation border within the late surface. The lip in Jones is positioned around the plate well, and the outer base and the plurality of central bases are positioned with the plate well opposite from the lip and at least one design indentation is positioned on the plate well and provides a separate area for the sauces. The design indentation border in Jones provides a barrier between a food surface of the plate well and a top surface of the at least one design indentation is positioned around the at least one design indentation on an opposing side. The plate in Jones with integrated design for sauces allows food items to be served on the food surface while keeping the sauces within the at least one design indentation. Note that Jones teaches a permanent divider that is unmovable requiring a new unique plate.
What is needed is a low cost, compact, and easy to install article divider device that removably engages the food plate surface in a substantially fluid tight manner that is operational to separate different food items from one another. Further the divider should be flexible to adapt to different sizes and shapes of food plates, plus be easily attachable and removable for washing.